File Photo
The MTA moved from traditional toll booths to Open Road Cashless Tolling at all state bridges and tunnels last year.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Legislation recently proposed by an area elected official would require the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to establish a cashless tolling amnesty program and to post that violation fee waiver policy on its website.
The bill, proposed by Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach), was crafted in light of the cashless tolling system which has caused thousands of dollars in violations for state residents, Pheffer Amato said.
According to the assemblywoman, the proposed law would provide rational, consumer-friendly relief and reform of the MTA’s Cashless Tolling System by: (1) enacting toll amnesty for a period of six months; (2) providing for public disclosure of the current MTA Violation Fee Waiver Policy; and (3) capping fees for toll charges at no more than twice the original toll charge for the first three months, and no more than three times the original toll charge for fees in the four- to six-month range, she noted.
The MTA’s move from traditional toll booths to Open Road Cashless Tolling at all state bridges and tunnels has sparked “significant and sustained improvements for motorists and the environment,” according to data recently released by the agency. It has also caused its fair share of headaches. Some drivers have reported unknowingly incurring steep fines because, they claimed, they never received an original notice or bill in the mail. Other complaints include insufficient signage and the dangers caused by confused motorists who stop under the scanners when they’re supposed to continue driving through them.